B.
W.
But, I've encountered both of them over the past couple of weeks, and let me tell you, I'm doing Balki & Larry's Happy Dance...
I passed both my bio and precalc midterms with B's (and I'm pretty sure my grade in Intro to Chem is an A, though I didn't find out what the curve was.)
I've always been an A student, with minimal studying. I never thought I'd be happy with a B on a test when there are so few graded items accounting for my final grade.
Welcome to Rutgers.
I spent my birthday dinner with my biology book in front of me, discussing ATP and the various stages of cell respiration with my husband. I'm sure that was oh-so-enjoyable for him (actually, it was, but the implication that it wasn't is funnier.) After coming home from the biology exam (on a Sunday...yay!) it was on to Precalc. Let's not forget to throw in the final draft for our first graded paper in College Writting and Research.
No wonder I have bronchitis.
I'm finding that I have to have a different perspective on my grades at this point. Don't get me wrong...I still want those A's, and damn it all if I'm not going to chase them down. But I found that it's the CONCEPTS that I'm worrying more about than the grade. When I got my precalc test back, I was able to go over it and figure out what I did wrong on every single area I lost points. I'll be looking at my biology exam when I get that back and doing the same thing. All I can do is learn from this and go forward. I'm going to use this information to my advantage and kick some backside come next test time (which is in less than a month...FABULOUS!)
What about the W, you ask?
I've decided to drop a course. I'm not doing poorly in it, in fact I'm currently getting one of the highest grades. I just happen to HATE the course.
College Writing and Research, I shall bid you adieu.
Here's a tip for any non-traditional transfer students out there...the transfer deans will do everything but put this class on blinking billboard at STAR day, because it's a course designed for transfer students to get them used to the writing that Rutgers expects. That's great and all, but I don't recommend it for non-traditionals unless you intend to major in something non-science related. In fact, when I spoke to the head of the Writing Resource Center, she said the same thing.
Please, don't get me wrong...the class more than serves it's purpose, and ordinarily I would be the type to just suck it up and finish it. I am certain there will be any number of classes in my future that will suck rocks. But, this particular class is really not going to serve me in the future, and I don't see the point in putting myself through the hassle if it isn't necessary. Grant proposal writing or Scientific and Technical Writing...now THOSE will serve me in the future. I have never dropped a class after I've started attending it, so I was a little nervous, but I talked to the lovely Bunting advisor, Katy Birckmayer, and my brain was sufficiently calmed.
Tomorrow morning, on the last day I can drop the course (yeah, so I'm a bit ahead of myself...last day to drop classes is 10/27), I will sign on to WebReg and click that little button that says "DROP" (I'd do it now, but it's 12:01 am, and WebReg is closed.) The class actually meets tomorrow, and I'm actually going to go, as I need to return a peer review and I want to find out what grade I got on my Paper #2, but after that, I will relish in the fact that I will be able to come home after 3 pm on Mondays. Hooray!
On a happier note, I've declared my major (and a minor, even though my major is credit intensive and doesn't require one.) I'm down as a Chemistry-Chemical Biology option major with a minor in Mathematics. We'll see if that comes through because I THINK I have to have Gen Chem I & II done before I can declare that, but we'll see (I'll go into that whole mess in another post...this one is already getting too long...)
PS...I was with CarolAnn at the NJPAC, and I agree with everything she said. It was an inspiring and moving experience.
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